I have been watching this tread for a while and finally ready to add to it. Myself being the ripe old age of 30, have been sometimes shunned away by the "more qualified" in railroading. I do not take this offensively/personally. I can understand why I don't show that special sparkle in my eye over any steam locomotive out there. I never saw a steam engine as anything other than a novelty. I never saw the white plume of smoke signalling a distant train without being elbow to elbow with other(sometimes rude) railfans. Many of the clubs out there have been focused around steam era, first and second generation generation diesels, and other (circus, lionel, etc.) segments of this broad hobby. My interest in the hobby really is in the 1990's. This is my personal transformation from a childhood interest into an adult hobby. I got my first car in 1993 (a 1978 Pontiac Ventura), and soon found myself trackside to photograph trains alone. I have had a model railroad since the age of four, and that too has been built to something other than "toy trains". In fact, I can say that I have been a model railroader for over 25 years!

The generation before me remembers the Hiawatha, El Capitan, Katy Flyer. To me the only discontinued train I remember seeing was the Pioneer 3 weeks before it got cut. I can say that the Pioneer really doesn't pull on the heartstrings like other passenger trains when it comes to the "good ol' boys". So I hate to say that I feel alone when it comes to this hobby, especially in the area I live in.

There isn't a lot to convince a young person to give up a Wed. night at 7:00. Time is money, days are longer, Family time is more important than personal time. The reality is that there aren't as many stable hours in the workday. Not everyone is off at 5:00pm. Not everybody works only one job. In my group of friends (non railfans), It's impossible to even get four of us together for dinner. Everyone's got a different schedule to adhere to. That's the reality of this generation.

Maybe Mr. Doyle has it right by letting Chris Fussell have some track to save the Amtrak F40PH. At least my generation can relate to it a little better than an F7. At least it's a start.

almo